The Art of Over-Thinking
or How to make a weakness into a Super Power
Hi I’m Lenaleah, writer, storyteller, mystic. I offer a weekly dose of intuitive inspiration, oracle guidance, and a story or two along the way. My ultimate goal is to remind you that you are a sacred little bean. Thanks for letting my words share your space.
I used to be an chronic over-thinker.
Mind racing, negotiating all the possible details of every given outcome of every event that could possibly happen in the next day, week, heck maybe even month.
I had a black belt in mental gymnastics.
This kind of thinking led me down long dark road of despair. It was the source of anxiety, my inability to take action, eventually depression. I told myself I was being productive with my mind, triaging events before they happened. None of it was beneficial. Regardless of how many events I planned for, something eventually went wrong.
Life is messy and I simply could not think my way around that fact.
Accepting that an over developed sense of doom and gloom wasn’t serving me, I sought out help. After a whole lot of therapy and facing my childhood trauma I learned to become aware of all the over-thinking.
A different flavor of control
The first thing I learned after breaking the cycle was that over-thinking is not solution oriented. Problem solving when issues arise gives space for creativity. Solutions will come forward as they are needed. I was no longer in charge mentally of all the possible issues I perceived would result from my lack of preparation.
I was no longer in charge.
I placed my trust in a creative spirit greater than myself. I found this creative spirit residing within me. This felt like Grace.
Learning to meditate helped create breathing room inside my head. The emotionally mature part of myself stepped in and stopped the mind from creating mountains out of mole hills. I was learning to take back control of my thoughts.
Time for some action
Meditation is wonderful for the nervous system but I needed an action oriented solution that involved the body. Exercise each morning was where I started. First thing, before coffee, phone checks, or even hellos to my hubby, I was out the door and walking.
My mind was already up and running scenarios so I gave it purpose. I would start with a daily mental gratitude list. As I did in meditation, any thoughts that were fear based would be viewed with detachment and let go. The entire walk was spent in silence rewiring my thought patterns.
Over-thinking isn’t an action, it’s a habit. I was taking charge to create what I desired mentally in my life.
I did my daily walk-thought exercise for a few years, I was building new muscles of curious thinking. But it still wasn’t enough.
Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it. - Ernest Holmes
I was not new to affirmations or mirror work when I came up with the solution to utilize my tendency to over-think. It was just one of those days when the whole universe seems to align. I had been studying the work of Ernest Holmes for months, but it hit me different than it ever had before.
Affirmations weren’t just a spiritual by-pass technique to avoid the tough things. They were going to be my way to create the self-fulling prophecy I desired. If I was thinking anyway, might as well put it to good use.
With a little help from a Mike Dooley class, I formulated an affirmation that would replace any thought that wasn’t helpful. It shut down the middle man- the fearful inner child that wanted status quo- and allowed for a new frame of mind.
Each mile covered walking was time spent in gratitude for life, along with a specific affirmation to help keep my focus on the end goal. The result didn’t take long to pay dividends.
Build your own outcome
The power of affirmations is found in utilizing the affirmation with intent. You don’t have to believe the affirmation initially, but you do have to be open to it being true. If you can’t get behind the idea, then it won’t work.
Affirmations come in all shapes and sizes. They can affirm big ideas, healing thoughts, focused intent. The wording needs to be specific yet broad. “I am a regularly published writer” is solid with intent, broad enough to allow for my writing to be published wherever I submit for publication. If I had said “I am a regularly published writer for The New Yorker” it isn’t any less powerful but I’ve limited myself to The New Yorker as the only source I will accept to publish my work.
Specific yet broad takes a bit of time to get use to but it pays off in dividends when recalibrating the over-thinking mind to work for you, rather than against you.
Creating affirmations that work is an art. Practice and allow for time to let them work. There are many resources available for affirmations that are created. However, if you have a specific area you would like to focus on in your life and would like some help, leave a comment below and I would be thrilled to assist you.
Until Sunday,
May your weekend find you with a full heart and a lighter mind,
Lenaleah